At a certain point in your life you’ve probably seen Yu-Gi-Oh! somewhere. It’s just that iconic. For this piece I’m going to focus on Yu-Gi-Oh!’s North American video game releases(excluding iOS/Android). These games tend to have altered, if not completely different, rules compared to the physical TCG. Usually they add some mechanics here and there while giving wider deck customization through the cards you acquire in-game. Still, they all feel familiar enough for players to get hooked. And the titles that veer away from the card battle model at least have the benefit of brand recognition amnog the massive Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise.
25. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul
We have a bit of a throwback to this 2002 Game Boy Advance release. Eternal Duelist Soul isn’t very beginner-friendly so learning the rules can be touch and go. The game also had over 800 cards, including Polymerization and fusion monsters which first appeared in the YGO games for the first time with this title. Players automatically have a choice between three starter decks all with a wide variety of cards. Plus you receive more cards from booster packs by winning, another first for the series. There’s not much to rave about in the story though. The game mainly has you face one duelist after another until you’ve mastered all the duelist Tiers, so you duel fanatics will get your fill. A fun game if you played back then but also maybe a dated entry nowadays.
24. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Duel Academy
In the first Yu-Gi-Oh! GX game ever released, you are a rookie duelist that has just enrolled in the Duel Academy. Your goal is to become the King of Games by besting all the other duelists on the island! Like other early Yu-Gi-Oh! games, Duel Academy focuses on…dueling. Lots and lots of dueling. The standard game flow constantly has you battling, earning Duelist Points (DP), spending DP for cards, upgrading your deck, then beating even stronger opponents with your improved deck. Repeat until you’re the best in the school. It’s a solid game for dedicated Yu-Gi-Oh! fans.
23. The Falsebound Kingdom
The Falsebound Kingdom numbers among the handful of Yu-Gi-Oh! video games that have core gameplay mechanics that obviously diverge from the TCG-style. In this Gamecube title, the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! rules collide with real-time strategy and RPG gameplay so it gets complex. Rather than fight with cards, you control an army Marshals. Each of which command Duel Monsters that battle for you. You initially choose between two storylines that focus on either Yugi Moto or Seto Kaiba (or, much later, Joey Wheeler) who are all trapped in a virtual reality game. The Falsebound Kingdom received a lot of flak from critics, mostly for the difficulty and how much it differed from the franchise’s other titles. But fans do seem to enjoy it to some degree. Looking past it being a non-standard Yu-Gi-Oh! video game, there was something awesome about seeing monsters from the TCG duke it out in real-time. Here’s hoping that the idea gets revisited!
22. GX Tag Force 2
This is the second of the Tag Force titles for the PSP. This one features characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX series and nearly 3000 cards. GX Tag Force 2 includes much of the same dueling mechanics and game flow as previous titles, though it adds the hype-y Destiny Draw system. In the story your character’s goal is to become the best duelist at the Duel Academy. You, the player, spend most of your time battling to do achieve that. GX Tag Force 2 does suffer from sequel same-ness syndrome compared to GX Tag Force, but it’s a fine game regardless.
21. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Spirit Caller
Next on the list we have another DS title featuring the cast of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime. Spirit Caller has you play as a student at the Duel Academy who’s buddy-buddy with GX poster boy Jaden Yuki and his roommate Syrus Truesdale. Although it has cutscenes with dialogue, the story mode and game world are very straightforward since you usually just duel your way through the overarching plot. Konami also tweaked the UI(though beginners may have some trouble adjusting) and improved animations compared to Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour. Overall, Spirit Caller was a step forward in the right direction for the handheld DS games.
20. 5D’s Wheelie Breakers
What happens when Mario Kart meets Yu-Gi-Oh? Well, this is Konami’s answer. Yeah, really. With this Wii release you play a fast and furious Turbo Duelist, racing from the bottom all the way to the Fortune Cup. Compared to most other Yu-Gi-Oh! games, the gameplay here takes a hard-right turn and keeps its foot on the gas pedal. Wheelie Breakers is a racing game through and through. But on top of going fast, you play cards to defend yourself and obstruct your opponents. It’s card games on motorbikes by any other name. Just beware of the learning curve. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it though, Wheelie Breakers is a fantastically fun and strategic game.
19. Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel
This gem for the Game Boy Advance has you duel your way through Battle City. You meet and battle against the franchise’s most renowned characters from the first Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. Which is always fun if you remember watching it back when it started airing. You also have the choice of dueling generic opponents on the map or participating in tournaments. Winning grants you new cards to build up your deck, so the more you play the better your deck gets. For its time, the game’s 1000-card selection was noteworthy. Though modern players may find it too limiting. The big draw (pun intended) here is the nostalgia trip of playing through a true YGO classic.
18. World Championship Tournament 2004
The one that started it all. The first World Championship game was released for the Game Boy Advance way back in the early 2000s. For this title, Konami tosses story off to the side for pure unadulterated dueling. You really just battle one opponent after the next with a very practical UI. You can take a break to optimize your deck after receiving new cards, and deck optimization may ultimately become the crux for your wins. But it’s mostly just digital duel practice which can be a lot more fun than it sounds. The 1000+ card count doesn’t hold much of a candle to the newer titles’ selections, but this game’s main draw is its strait-laced focus on card battling. Just remember this uses the older rules so there is no such thing as synchro summon or any kind of ban list.
17. Capsule Monster Coliseum
Here we have a 2004 release for the PlayStation 2 that is fun if you played it, but forgettable if you never bought it. Capsule Monster Coliseum’s gameplay diverges from traditional card battles. It’s like chess but with Capsule Monsters. You play as Yami Yugi battling his way through the eponymous tournament. The mechanics may be tough to get a hang of at first, and you will need a good strategy to beat the whole game. But after getting into the swing of things Capsule Monster Coliseum can lead to a lot of fun from a very different playstyle compared to most Yu-Gi-Oh! video games.
16. Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008
Here we have another one(of many) Yu-Gi-Oh! games for the Nintendo DS and the last of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX video game lineup. Being the second World Championship on the platform, World Championship 2008 sets the series for an upward trend. Unfortunately you won’t find too much novelty here. This game implements the Duel World, which adds a more pleasing aesthetic and game world interactivity that World Championship 2007 lacked. Overall this title adopts and adapts an already successful game chassis without much else. It’s a nice choice for a Yu-Gi-Oh! video game, though dedicated fans may find it worth playing only to see how the DS game lineup evolves.
15. GX Tag Force 3
Let’s get this straight: GX Tag Force 3 doesn’t aesthetically revolutionize the Tag Force games. They had functional graphics and ambiance already. The story was there but rather forgettable, if not confusing. Unsurprisingly, you also choose one of the other characters as your partner. That character will then accompany you around the Duel Academy, play mini-games with you, and join you in Tag Duels. Konami put most of their efforts into the gameplay which might be the most we could ever want in TCG video games. GX Tag Force 3 contains over 3500 cards for you to earn and collect, so you’ll have lots of strategies to play with to make and revamp decks! This game also has the much-appreciated Destiny Draw system from GX Tag Force 2. The game’s AI can make for a steep learning curve for beginners, but seasoned card battlers will find a challenge without too much frustration. Seems like Konami heard the gripes about GX Tag Force 2 since this third game provides a welcomed improvement to the series.
14. World Championship Tournament 2006
At this point it shouldn’t surprise you if all the World Championship games make it on this list. Ultimate Masters is a Game Boy Advance release boasting over 2000 cards. That number may not sound like much by today’s standards, but it was well over double its predecessor’s card count. It’s also before a lot of the better cards like Raigeki got banned outright. Along with traditional card battles, Ultimate Masters features Duel Puzzle, Theme Duel, Survival Duel, and Limited Duel modes. These options widen the gameplay, though the title mainly focuses on standard dueling. And lots of it. There’s no story or campaign mode here and progression feels like a gauntlet against an assortment of themed decks. If you want dueling and just dueling, then here’s a game for you.
13. 5D’s Tag Force 4
TF4 is another installment of the Tag Force series for the PSP. You play as a silent & mysterious duelist that tag-teams with several characters from the 5D’s anime, each one with their own storylines. Completing these storylines earns you their signature cards, so you’re incentivized to partner with as many characters as possible. In addition to standard duels, you play through the eponymous Tag Duels teaming up with characters you built relations with. Tag Force 4 features over 4000 cards and you should be relieved to know that the game lets you store up to 200 deck recipes. Graphics-wise, the game has a mostly 2D world that lets you move from one area to another and interact with characters on the map. Konami also polished the dueling UI a bit and added battle animations, including some nifty cinematics for the more iconic monster cards. Dedicated Yu-Gi-Oh! fans will enjoy throwing down in this game.
12. Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories
This list wouldn’t be complete without a blast to the past. Dark Duel Stories is the franchise’s first and only North American release for the Game Boy Color. It’s like the granddaddy of Yu-Gi-Oh! games that demands your respect. Since it came out in the franchise’s early days(2002) the dueling rules followed the anime more than the actual TCG. It has a pretty linear story, if you could call it that. But still if you want to duel, you’ll do a lot of it. Maybe even too much. Dark Duel Stories is still a good game for its platform (and its time). Anyone chasing that bit of nostalgia may find it worthy of a playthrough.
11. World Championship 2007
The World Championship Tournament games quickly became fan favorites, and Konami made the very smart move to continue them on the Nintendo DS. Along with a slight change to the series’ name, World Championship 2007 features over 1600 cards and more strategies than any game before it. This one also supports online play with a Wi-Fi connection(a first for Yu-Gi-Oh! video games at the time). Worth mentioning this title also introduces Jaden Yuki as the franchise’s new poster boy, though there’s no story mode. Instead you play as your own duelist whose appearance you can customize. Most notably, this game just lets you duel to your heart’s content. Compared to its predecessors, World Championship 2007 boasts a better AI for challenging duels(though more experienced players may argue the contrary). It also includes a tutorial mode making it much more beginner-friendly. This may have been a way to hook in more kids who had never played the game before and get them interested in the actual trading card game. Overall Konami hit the ground running with this release, and they set themselves up for some big shoes to fill with its sequels.
10. Dungeon Dice Monsters
Much like Capsule Monster Coliseum, this Game Boy Advance release diverges from the franchise’s TCG-based mechanics. Instead of dueling with decks, you play Duke Devlin’s dice game from the first anime. Dungeon Dice Monsters has you summon monsters using, well, dice—so you rely more on the luck of the roll here than the heart of the cards. Your goal in each battle is to chip away at your opponent’s Heart Points using your summoned monsters. You play through several tournaments, challenging one opponent after another (including some of the anime’s main cast). It’s a deceptively addicting game that will hook you as you play more. And before you ask, no, this is nothing like Duel Monsters. This is Dungeon Dice Monsters. Totally a different game.
9. Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour
Yu-Gi-Oh!’s first Nintendo DS title has you duel through the Battle City tournament pitted against the likes of Maximillion Pegasus and the Paradox Brothers. Of course, this game wouldn’t be complete without appearances from the first anime’s cast. It has an Overworld that you can navigate and explore with your duelist’s little avatar, too. The big improvement here came with the UI and general play controls since Konami made sure to integrate the DS’s touch screen. It became easier (and quicker) to quickly tap decisions while still using buttons to input commands. Plus Nightmare Troubadour upped the graphics with the new console, using the top screen to show the gameboard, card animations, and even monster battles. There was a lot of hype for this game before and after its release and it sets a promising standard for other Yu-Gi-Oh! Nintendo DS titles.
8. 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005
Here we have the second World Championship game that was released for the Game Boy Advance. In the free-roam story mode you are a duelist in Domino City, battling to become the best. Like World Champion Tournament 2004 you face off against characters from the first anime series such as Tea, Mai, Tristan, and even Yugi’s Grandpa. However some duelists and the Shadow Realm stay locked away until later on. Plus whenever you win a tournament, you get a shiny new trophy to commemorate your achievement. Hurrah! 7 Trials to Glory distinctly features duel restrictions that help spice up standard card battles. This title also includes the DP mechanic and Deck Recipe functions. You earn DP by winning duels and use them to obtain new cards or register for tournaments. Other improvements include an updated UI and more deck management, though it has a surprisingly limited card pool of only 1000 considering the time of its release. Regardless it’s a fantastic game that hits just the right beats for a Yu-Gi-Oh! title.
7. The Duelist of the Roses
Next we have a PS2 hit that mixes Yu-Gi-Oh! with English history. The game gives a nod to the War of the Roses in the setting and naming, though that’s the extent of historical similarities. Some of the franchise’s most beloved characters adopt alternate egos: for example, Yugi becomes Henry Tudor, the leader of the House of York. And Seto Kaiba becomes Christian Rosenkreuz, the head of the House of Lancaster. You play the unnamed Rose Duelist after being summoned to the past by Yugi’s grandpa as a Scottish druid (yeah, just a touch more fantasy here than usual). Eventually you pick a side between the Red Rose for the Lancasters or the White Rose for the Yorks which determines your future opponents. Gameplay-wise, Duelist of the Roses alters the traditional dueling format. It has the “Perfect Rule” system that emphasizes Deck Leaders, which work like avatars of the cards you play on the field. Deck Leaders are monster cards that you rank up through play. As the Deck Leader becomes more powerful it gains leader abilities to buff your monsters and summon more effectively. In each battle you trudge your leader and army through the duel battlefield to knock the opposing Deck Leader down to 0 Life Points. It’s a fun game that mixes more terrain strategy with traditional card play, all the while sporting an alternate history backdrop. Sounds weird but really fun to play if you’re already a big Yu-Gi-Oh! fan. Not to mention I have to say the soundtrack in this game is really terrific, especially for a PS2 title.
6. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force
Now we’ve got the game that debuted Yu-Gi-Oh! on the PSP: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force, the first of the Tag Force series. You enter the Duel Academy from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime as a student and battle through the Tag Force tournament. The game also features a friendship system where you build up relationships with certain characters, and the one most fond of you will act as your partner in Tag Duels. Pretty unique idea to say the least. Don’t expect a stellar AI(which isn’t surprising with the franchise) but there’s enough difficulty to challenge you. Plus as the opponents get tougher and with over 1500 cards to collect, you’ll want to keep improving your deck. GX Tag Force’s graphics were a notable improvement in quality compared to the franchise’s previous handheld titles with a 2D isometric game world and more detailed character/card animations during battles. This game made for one of the best Yu-Gi-Oh! titles released thus far.
5. 5D’s Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009
The World Championship video games number among the most popular and highly praised titles of the Yu-Gi-Oh! games. Stardust Accelerator continues the series on the Nintendo DS, this time featuring the cast of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, the franchise’s spin-off after GX. Featuring over 2800 cards, this game quite literally picks up the pace with Turbo Duels(imagine your character dueling on motorbikes). It also sprinkles in puzzle-solving with Duel Puzzles, though the bulk of the gameplay still takes place over card battles. Speaking of which, the AI is serviceable for a challenging experience and you’ll have to recoup from losses by tweaking your deck. On top of everything this game lets you play Wi-Fi duels against other players from all over the world. For the story mode, you play as your own customizable character in a free roam-style 3D world. You wake up in the city of Satellite without your memory. True to Yu-Gi-Oh! fashion, you duel your way to New Domino City where you battle through tournaments to beat the game. This title provides a wonderful example of a story campaign bolstered by the gameplay. Stardust Accelerator leaps over its predecessors showing just how much the World Championship series has evolved.
4. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 5
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 5 is the latest internationally released game of the Tag Force series. This game keeps what was good about its Tag Force predecessors, such as DP, the Destiny Draw system, Deck storage, and multiple character storylines. Then it sprinkles in additions to improve the game overall. While the graphics hardly change throughout the series (save for tweaks to the dueling UI), Konami optimized load times for this game which means you get to more duels with less wait. They also added new cinematics during duels which is a nice touch, although maybe not totally necessary. The game features additional characters from the 5D’s anime and, more importantly, over 4700 cards for you to collect. With this massive selection and an improved AI the duels stay fun and complex, sometimes really coming down to the luck of the draw. The improvements to 5D’s Tag Force 5 make it arguably the best of the Tag Force series.
3. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2011: Over the Nexus
Yeah, the World Championship games really are just that good. Much like its predecessors, Over the Nexus keeps what worked well with the series and adds just a bit more to make it better. It features a whopping 4,000+ cards, Wi-Fi play, Duel Runner battles, and deck building tools for new and old players alike. Plus Konami made especially sure to polish the graphics, including the duel interface and battle animations, for this release. Story-wise, you and your friends are the heroes! Over the Nexus begins with a seemingly standalone narrative that eventually converges with arcs from the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s anime, so you battle through Crash Town and eventually New Domino City. I think the worse thing to say about this game is that it’s the last of the World Championship series. Glad to know that it sure does live up to the name though.
2. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia
Somehow an improvement over Stardust Accelerator and arguably the best of the World Championship series for being the most well-rounded game. Reverse of Arcadia is an excellent Nintendo DS title that features over 3,500 cards, tag duels, turbo duels, tournaments, and more. Plus you can customize your own character which was a big welcome change to the series! Explore New Domino City and encounter the cast of the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s anime in a significantly more involved and polished Story Mode. For those with more competitive tastes, Reverse of Arcadia also has Wi-Fi play letting you face off and rank against duelists from all over the world. The World Championship titles had a knack for getting better and better with each addition. Suffice it to say, Reverse of Arcadia lives up to the hype. Nearly a decade after its release it remains a fantastically satisfying game to play and replay, and fans laud it as one of the best video games in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.
1. Legacy of the Duelist
Released in 2015 for the PS4 and Xbox One (in 2016 for PC), Legacy of the Duelist is Konami’s latest Yu-Gi-Oh! video game release in North America. It boasts the largest card selection to date with over 7500 cards (counting DLC) making it a dream for card collectors and deck builders. The solo mode AI can be a mixed bag but has remarkably improved from previous titles. You’ll need a good bit of strategy and the luck of the draw to best these computerized foes. Yet if AI doesn’t do it for you, the online play is an exciting opportunity to pit your deck against other players and see who the true King of Games really is. For fans who followed the anime(and its spin-offs) over the years, Legacy of the Duelist will take you on a nostalgia trip. The massive story campaign has you relive battles from the first series(like the classic Yugi vs. Kaiba rivalry) all the way up to the most prominent duels in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL and Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. This game ambitiously unites generations of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and characters into a single package and it does well to please old and new fans alike. Legacy of the Duelist has to be the best PC release of a Yu-Gi-Oh! title, and it’s really a strong contender for the best Yu-Gi-Oh! video game of all time. Let’s hope Konami can keep this momentum going with their future releases too.
